Forms of Love
by Irritus185
Summary: Sequel to Half My Heart. After she waits up in her new lover's embrace, Nina contemplates on what love truely is, and whether or not she will always have that with the dragon of her dreams. One-shot


A/N: Hi, people! I'm finally back with another one-shot for my "Breath of Fire" series. This time it's from Nina's pov and starts in the morning after she and Ryu fall asleep together. I finally finished playing the game a long time back, so I found out that there are no more dragons in the world after the end of the game. Well, just bear with me and play along with the thought that Ryu is still an endless and still has trouble with his dragonic powers. Okay? Please enjoy! 

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Breath of Fire IV. I own the game and also Breath of Fire I and V. I wish I could get my hands on II and III but haven't been able to find a working copy yet. (sighs) Oh well, maybe next time...Errrr, but I don't own the franchise, so please don't sue me! 

**Forms of Love   
By Yamiga'sLight**

There are so many different forms of love. Love between siblings, between parents, between...well, between anyone, I suppose. There are also many types of love like love for a hobby, sport, or other material possessions. But...to me, there is a love that makes leaps and bounds over any and all of these loves. To me, the best kind of love is that between a man and woman, one that makes each of the others' hearts flutter just by looking at them, and that completely spans the ages. 

The love that makes everything right, that takes away all of life's worries, and makes them insignificant in the eyes of the two lovers. One that doesn't care what the difference in age, class, or just plain different...species, I guess you could call it, between the two people is. The love that would make you happy that you breathe. A person you could love with all your heart, and one that would love you just as equally. Someone you could spend the rest of your life with, have kids with, grow old with...and die with. That one person that you would love forever...until the end of time. 

I, personally, have experienced many of these types of love over my life. Some simple, some complex, some just silly infatuations, and one...that has absolutely completed my life. I have had many hopeful dreams, yet also much heartbreak. But...that's the only thing that you can expect when you dabble in this strange, mysterious area that few people have ever even dared to search fully. 

The simplest, and most comfortable, loves I have felt have been within my family. I love my family very much...at least what's left of them, that is. Regretfully, very little of my once happy family has survived from the years before. My mother died when I was a very little girl, so I...don't remember much about her. All I do remember was that she was a very kind woman, very loving. I have dreams about her sometimes, dreams from back when I was a little girl, when she used to hold me in her arms. I can't recall much, but I do remember a warmth, a scent, a voice, all so comforting. Every time I wake up from that dream, I find tears streaming down my face. But from whether the happiness of knowing that it was her, or from the sadness knowing that I will never see her again in this life, I never quite knew. 

Then comes my sister, Elena. She was the nicest person I knew of. She was so kind to everyone, and because of that, everyone loved her. I even loved her; I couldn't help _but_ love her. She was my sister, the more liked one, but she never made it obvious, never tried to make it clear she was the better one. She was also one of the most humble people I knew of, and I couldn't help but love her. Sure, I was a little jealous of her because of my affections for the man that she was involved with, but I'll get to that later. 

Unfortunately...my sister died at the hands of a madman who thought he could make a god to do his bidding. I hate Yuna for doing that to my sister. I lost one of the most important people in my life because of that man, and I will never forgive him because of it. However, the group I was in only became more tightly knitted together because of it. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise...Yet somehow, no...I _knew_ that it was of the most horrible moments in my life, hearing my best friend saying that he had killed my own sister, and his only love, just to end the suffering she was being put through...All for the progression of war. 

War. I hate the term. It's what killed my mother, giving her an unknown disease from when she traveled in a war-shocked town to try and help the poor townspeople that lived there. My father had told me this when I became old enough to understand why my mother had gone away one day, and came back looking as if she had had her very soul sucked out of her. She died from curses caused by the hex that was put on the town for, or so the Empire called it, _experimental_ purposes. Just another... _pathetic_ excuse, for killing millions of innocent people! I hated them, I hated them, _I hated them!_ Because of them, I lost my mother! My only mother! The only one I would ever have! The only one who could...I'm sorry. I still sometimes go into tirades because of this reason. But you could understand, right? 

In any case, I also lost my sister because of war. She had gone into the east of our continent, traveling from town to town, exploring the battlegrounds and visiting war veterans. She wanted to try and boost the people's morale because of the horrific war that had been raging between our two continents for years. Just another reason I loved her. She even risked her life, just to try and see that people, not even the people of her country, were happy. But that was also the reason why she vanished. A member of the Empire, an official by the name of Yuna, who dabbled in hexes and other such terrible magic, had captured her. That slime did the unthinkable, and changed my sister into an Endless, a dragon, a god, just so he could make a weapon of limitless power. He sacrificed _my_ sister, another person who I loved so very dearly, for his own damn ambitions! I hated him too! 

And my father...my father only became sicker and sicker with every family member that we lost. After my mother died, he had lost the original shine that he always carried. His eyes began to become dull and listless, and the way he acted showed that he was not ever totally into his work as king of our tribe. I was so sad seeing my father like this, so dead and weak. And then when Elena disappeared, his emotional state quickly transferred his physical state into a wreck too. He became ill, bound to his bed as if some horrible affliction was rendering his body almost useless. 

And so my family has crumbled from the happy and proud one it once was. My mother and sister dead, my father sick mentally, emotionally, _and_ physically. It was the most horrible thing that could happen to a person. But still, I'm happy knowing that I still have my father. My mother and sister may no longer be with us, but at least we still have each other. In fact, my father is now a lot better! I think he's finally accepted that my mother and sister are gone, but at least they died doing something that they thought was right, and he can't feel guilty for that or else he would be tarnishing their memories. Needless to say, I'm so glad that he has come to terms with their deaths. 

But the family type of love is gone now and it's time for me to move one. Next came the more complicated, but still somewhat innocent, infatuations...or you could say a crush if you want to, I really couldn't care less. But anyway, my very first actual crush was for my sister's and mine best friend, Cray of the Worren tribe. The only problem was that he and my sister...were the ones that were together. 

I felt like I was in a bad soap opera, having feelings for the man that my sister was with. Maybe I only liked him just because my sister was with him; he was so much like an older brother to me. Maybe I was jealous of my sister and wanted what she had, like a little spoiled brat. Well, I was kind of selfish and a little bit of a crybaby when I was younger. Maybe I still am... 

Nah. 

Anyway, after a while, I knew that my crush was founded on unstable grounds, and I just gave up. Maybe I should have tried harder, but somehow I knew that I would never beat Elena for Cray's affections, they were that much in love. But...that didn't stop me from still being friends with him, and he has continued to be one of my best friends up to this very day. I do love him, but only as a brother now, nothing more...and nothing less. 

After that first crush, nothing much really happened to me in my childhood and early teenager years. I had a few crushes on some of the princes that came to visit the castle, also for some of the boys that lived in and around us that I used to play with. My father was actually quite lenient with me playing with commoners. Maybe that's why he's one of the most liked rulers of our tribe. I received my first kiss from one of the serving boys in the castle, nothing more than a rather innocent peck on my cheek, but it meant the world to the hopeless romantic kept deep within my heart. 

But it wasn't until I reached around the mature age of eighteen that I knew what true love really felt like. It was then that I met the most wonderful, handsomest, kindest, sweetest, giving, caring, and loving man. You might think that I am over-exaggerating his qualities, but I swear...every single one of them is true. I fell in love with him almost instantly, my feelings only growing stronger as we spent more time around each other. My love for him grew to a point where I would do anything for him to love me back just as I loved him. Madly, deeply, truly. 

And then...the most miraculous thing happened. He said he loved me too! It almost never happened, however, as he thought I could never love him back. He almost left me, and I would have never been able to tell him how much I loved him! But, thankfully, I came to his room, being able to gather enough courage to try and speak with him on the matters of my love for him. A few battles of emotions were fought between us and then, everything just simply broke down...but in a good way, in a _very_ good way. 

I woke up to find myself in the most soothing and comfortable warmth I had ever been in for a long, long time. Slowly opening my eyes, I found the reason for this warmth lying underneath me, his strong wrapped around my waist, and a small smile adorning his handsome face. I couldn't help but feel a blush rise to my face as I realized how intimate we were holding each other. My arms were locked under his shoulders, gripping them from behind, my...ahem, breasts (there, I said it) pressing firmly into his chiseled chest. 

The man currently holding me as if I were some precious antique is Ryu. No last name, just Ryu. He is the love of my life, and the reason why I am so happy at the moment. I am proud to say that I, Nina, love this man, Ryu, with all of my heart. 

I sighed before moving my hands to lightly play with the strands of his freed hair. Ryu usually kept his hair in a ponytail, and by usually I meant _all_ of the time. This was the third time I had ever seen him with his hair loose. The first time was when we had first met, the second was when he...I shuddered at the memory. A bad time from when we knew each other. I think I'll get to that later. 

But I could never understand why Ryu never let his hair out. He had such beautiful hair, the blue perfectly matching with those absolutely _gorgeous_ emerald eyes of his. Ohh...those eyes of his...Whenever I looked into them, they always managed to make me shiver from the raw power and emotion I saw contained within them. Such beautiful eyes, yet also such sad ones too most of the time. 

I sighed again before going back to the task of running my fingers throughout the length of his hair. He had surprisingly soft hair, not at all the wiry mess that I thought would occur from all of the tough traveling we did on our adventure. I myself spent a good amount of our free time trying to fix my own hair. No, I'm not vain...well, maybe a little, but I'm not the type of person to spend hours in front of a mirror, trying to fix up one eye with makeup. I just didn't want to look like a drowned rat, which was what most of us looked like a lot of the time after we went through the variety of environments in our journey. 

Sorry, I keep on getting off-track, but trust me, the little tidbits I'm giving now with definitely help you piece together the story I'll be telling you later. In any case, Ryu really did have well-kempt hair, even though he barely tried to manage it at all as he spent most of our free time training and trying his best to help all of us out with our different problems while barely paying attention to his, one that made ours looked miniscule in proportion. In fact, the most amount of time to make himself look good was when he washed himself in a lake or river. And even _then_, he didn't untie his ponytail. 

Urm..._how_ do I know that he never undid his ponytail when he bathed? Well...maybe I peeked on him once in a while...Okay, okay, I peeked on him more than I'd like to admit. There, you happy now?! 

Humph, you people can be just so rude and prudish sometimes! It was just a little peek. I'm sure Ryu's done it a bunch of times before. And if he has...well, then I'd just have to make sure that'd he never do it again. Unless I wanted him to, that is...Oooooh...now you people are making me get completely embarrassed! Okay, time to move away from this conversation before my head explodes from pure blood rush to it. 

I met Ryu in the most unusual of ways. After Elena disappeared, the Eastern Alliance thought that it was too dangerous to send a search party to the post-war front. Such a move would be a "politically incorrect maneuver and force an unnecessary war that could result in far more causalities than positive results." In other words, "she's just one princess, nothing really worth the extra paperwork." Damn politicians...nothing but cowards _they_ are! 

I couldn't wait anymore. I had to find Elena. Cray whole-heartedly agreed with me. After all, the woman he loved could have been in a grave amount of danger. So the two of us snuck away in the dead of night to go search for my sister. It was actually quite simple...until the day came where we were out in the desert in a sandflier that we had bought from one of the nearby towns. There, we were attacked. Not by some soldiers, not by some bandits, but by a god. The sand dragon nearly mowed us over, making us crash our sandflier and rendering it totally incapable of flying. So, I left Cray at the crash site to try and find some parts to fix the sandflier with. That's when my entire life changed, turning it into a gigantic adventure of danger, intrigue, and magic. 

On my way to the nearest town, I came upon a giant crater in the ground with a merchant, not to mention his entire cart of goods, frantically trying to get out of it. He was able to, and when I got closer to see what he was so afraid of, I also fell into the pit. Landing at the bottom, I came upon one of the strangest scenes I have ever seen in my life. There, right in front of my eyes was another dragon. However, it did not attack me. Although it seemed strangely agitated, all it did was grow a pair of transparent wings and fly out of the crater. It was then my eyes fell on him. 

He was lying there, absolutely naked and curled up, as if he had just been born. I was of course frozen in shock. What else could I be in after seeing some naked guy appear right after an Endless left? I watched as he slowly opened his eyes, absently scratched his head, and then stood up, yawning. He then noticed me, and stared as if I was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. Only at that moment did I fully realize his lack of clothing and turned away, blushing furiously all the while. I just randomly ordered him to put on some clothes, and he did so, rather quickly too. 

When he came from back around the cart where he had changed, I truly noticed just how handsome he was. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him struggle to tie his hair into his now trademark ponytail. He was like some little kid, knowing nothing of this world, and yet...the feeling I received from him made it feel like he was far wiser beyond his appearance. For some unknown reason, I moved behind him and, ripping a strip from the bottom of my dress, deftly tied his hair up. He flashed me an innocent smile as he turned round, and I could feel yet again another blush rising to my face. 

I shook it off though, and immediately questioned who he was and what he was doing in a crater that had just contained a dragon in it. He tilted his head, looked at me in a perplexed manner, and only said one thing. "Ryu." I asked him what he meant by that, and he said that was his name, but other than that, he had no idea who he was, where he had come from, why he was here, or even the simple fact of where he was! 

Not knowing _what_ to do, I just simply asked if he would follow me. After all, not only could we find out who he was, but maybe he could have also helped me with finding my sister! In any case, it was best to just go to the nearest town and ask around. Maybe the townspeople would have known who he was. Deciding that, I thought it wise to give him something to protect himself. I parted onto him the King's Sword, one of the sacred items of the Eastern Alliance that symbolized the peace between the nations within it. I borrowed it to help with Cray's and mine search. The Alliance wouldn't have missed it, right? 

Surprisingly enough, even though Ryu might not have had a single clue to what the heck he was doing there, he was pretty damn good at using a sword. Throughout the short time we spent going to the nearest town, which by the way was called Sarai, he protected me from dozens of bandits and monsters that literally grew from the desert's surface. He was like some knight in shining armor, protecting his damsel from all harm. Needless to say, I was _extremely_ flattered from all the attention he gave me. He even jumped off a cliff to save me when I fell! Unfortunately for him, there was no need as I'm part of the Fai, the winged people, tribe. Wings do come in handy when falling from great heights. 

After a few more complications which I'd rather not discuss, (let's just say some jerk tried to kidnap me and Ryu beat the crap out of him...He's so considerate like that. Yet another reason why I love him so much) we finally made our way back to the crash site with yet another person added to our party. A hex-fighter by the name of Ershin joined our ranks in the hexed city of Chamba. I had to admit I felt a little disappointed when she came, as because she also seemed rather attracted to Ryu (who wouldn't, I mean...he's gorgeous!) and even though I would probably never have admitted it then, I was also a little jealous. I'm not now, though, because he's mine and nobody else's! 

Anyway, when we finally made it back to the crash site, Cray was a little suspicious of my new friends, but after a dream we all had from Ryu's mysterious Dragon Eye, he quickly set that aside so that we could get back on our journey to find my sister. We made a bunch of new friends after that, Scias, a mercenary grassrunner, and Ursula, a captain of the Empire, joining us along the way. We had so many adventures, encountered so much peril, and saw so many magical beings that I could not even believe my eyes. 

Along the way, I only managed to fall deeper and deeper in love with the man traveling by my side. There were so many events that brought us closer, but I think I'll only tell a few of the ones I liked more, and also the ones that made serious changes in our relationship. 

One of the more...hmmm, how should I say this..._embarrassing_ ones was when our party was making its way through the forests of Wychwood, and a bunch of mischievous faeries decided to play a couple of tricks on us and shrunk me. They actually shrunk me! I was reduced to the size of a bug, almost stepped on by my confused friends, as they had no idea how I disappeared, and was then carried off to bird's nest because she thought I was one of her babies! Maybe wings aren't as good as they seem...oh well. 

After I managed to avoid having to eat regurgitated worm, I had to fight the poor mother bird, who was only doing what she thought best for her kids, hurt her, which I hated doing to any living creature, and then try to make my escape down a vine. By that time, the faeries' magic had worn off and I instantly snapped back to my original size...only to find I had fallen on Ryu! 

The two of us just stared at each other, me sitting on his stomach, my legs splayed across the ground, my hands on his chest, until Scias cleared his throat. The two of us sprung away from each other, blushing the whole time. It only managed to get worse as Ershin asked why our body temperature had risen, our faces were flushed, and why were we looking at each other with such hungry looks etched onto our faces. Urgh, sometimes Ershin really doesn't know when to shut up. Or maybe it was because of the half-Endless, Deis, trapped within its metallic restrictions. Somehow I think _she_ was the one who instigated Ershin to say that... 

As you could plainly see, I was highly attracted to Ryu, even from the very start. Not only was he handsome, but he also always did his best to help any of us in anyway possible. When it came to Yuna and my sister, Ryu didn't hesitate in forcing his way through guards and cursed monsters to try and help her. I can still remember when we found Yuna in the capital of the Empire, how Ryu just calmly went up to Yuna when he was trying to sweet-talk us, drew his sword, and lashed out at him, making him drop the fabled Dragonslayer. Afterwards, when I asked him why he was so ready to fight tons of guards, just to get a simple sword, his answer made my heart skip a beat, my face turn crimson red, and a warm, gooey feeling settle in my stomach. 

He merely smiled at me, raised his hand, and cupped one of my cheeks. I didn't even notice the others trying their best to look away as if they weren't seeing what was happening between us. "Because..." Ryu murmured softly to me. "I would do anything, Nina, _anything_, just to see you smile. You need to smile more, Nina, because you're so very beautiful when you do." I had never had anything so beautiful said to me in all my life, and I was barely able to stop the tears from rising to my eyes. 

There were a few other times that just made me love Ryu even more, but there were two major events that happened that both blossomed, yet nearly destroyed the relation we have now. 

The first one was when...Ryu went berserk. In case I haven't told you already, Ryu is an Endless, a god. He's one-half of the most powerful god that there ever was in this world, or that there ever will ever be. His other half, the legendary first emperor of the Western Empire, Fou-Lu, was defeated by us when he threatened to destroy the world with his horrific powers. However, to do this, he needed to merge with Ryu to attain his true power. Luckily, Ryu refused this and battled against his...I suppose you could say brother, defeating him and thereby stopping the prophecy of the most powerful god being born into this world. 

That said, Ryu had the wondrous, yet terrible, ability of being able to change into various dragon forms, becoming a hybrid with both human and immortal characteristics. The dark side of his power, though, was clearly shown when we were captured by the Empire while we were trying to find the inhabitants of Chek in the abandoned village. Captain Rasso, the man I mentioned who tried to kidnap me earlier, had been torturing them so as to find our whereabouts. Seeing the atrocious sins being committed because of him, Ryu just simply...lost it. 

He gained a new form, one whose likes I don't think anyone had ever seen before. A giant dragon, formed out of nothingness, stood by his side, moving as he did, as if it were but a mirror image. Its entire body was an entire weapon, whether it had been its sharp claws or fangs, or its breath attack that obliterated the Empire's soldiers in an instant. But it wasn't the dragon that scared me, oh no... 

It was Ryu. 

Compared to Ryu, the dragon was like some defenseless animal. He looked so frightening, his clothes torn from when he resisted the Empire's soldiers when they captured us. The bindings to his ponytail had been ripped to shreds by the crackling power that emanated from him, the strands floating in the air. His mouth was open, and he screamed, screamed as if his very soul was being completely eradicated. But his eyes...his eyes were what scared me the most. They were absolutely blood red, filled with such rage, such loathing, such...such pure _hatred_, that I just simply broke down into tears. 

I watched him as he destroyed the Empire's soldiers, as if they were nothing more than insects. It was then I saw his eyes switch to me, and in that brief instant, as we looked at each other, I could see, just a little bit, his heart crying out in sadness and loss, like some child whose beloved family member had just died. I remembered that look...it was the same one that my father had gained after my mother died. I realized then that I had to stop him, even if it meant me dieing, because Ryu was going through more pain than any being should ever have to go through. 

I bolted for him, completely ignoring Cray's calls for me to come back, and launched myself at Ryu. Tackling his side, I latched myself to his arm, crying, and begging him to stop this senseless destruction. I called his name, over and over, as if it would dispel the madness consuming his soul. He tilted his head to look down at me, and simply sneered before raising an arm to strike me. 

As his arm came down, I looked up at him and whispered his name one last time before bowing my head. It was then...that Ryu stopped, his arm halted in mid-strike, myself never feeling his blow. I looked back up at him. His eyes slowly reverted from their demon-like red back to the peaceful and beautiful emerald that I loved so much. They then closed, and I heard him whisper _my_ name before he collapsed on top of me. I just cried as I held him to me, sobbing his name over and over again as I held his head against my chest. The others quickly rushed to our side, and Cray lifted Ryu into his arms before taking him over to the makeshift tent to let him sleep. 

I stayed with Ryu the entire day and entire night, only leaving his side to discuss what had happened with the others. That night, after the others had fallen asleep, I took off the blanket Cray had given to me and placed it on Ryu's huddled form. His hair was fanned out around his head, his mouth curved into a sad frown. Looking at him, I knew that I was absolutely in love with the man. I couldn't help_ but_ be in love with him. Sneaking a peek to make sure that no one was awake, I brushed away the hair from Ryu's forehead before placing a tender kiss upon it. Then, I curled up by his side and quickly fell asleep. The next day, I found myself with Ryu's blanket back on me, and Ryu leaning against a rock, looking at the sky. I will never forget the expression on his face...Such sadness, regret...and loss. So many painful expressions...on such an innocent face... 

That was a horrendous experience, but compared to the one that happened next, it was hardly anything. At least that made me fully understand what I felt for Ryu, but this next one...this next one might have ruined any chance of Ryu and I getting together at all. Gods, I was such an idiot! What was I thinking when I said those things?! 

It all happened when we trapped on the Tidal Flats. As there was nothing we could do until the tide went back out, Ryu decided to go fishing. I thought it a good idea if I went with him. You know...two young people on a tropical beach at sunset... _so_ romantic. I might have even gotten to tell Ryu that I loved him! But I, being the coward that I was, told him the worst possible thing to say at that moment. 

I told him I was in love with Cray. 

I don't know what I was thinking! It was just...when we actually got to have some alone time together, I didn't know what to do! Every time I tried to speak, my brain kept cutting off the commands for my voice. I kept thinking of what I could say, and just blurted out the first thing I thought of. I said that I had a crush on Cray, and maybe I was even in love with him. I don't know why! Maybe I was just afraid that Ryu would reject me if I said that I loved him, so I protected myself by spinning a false safety net around my heart. 

However, it seemed that Ryu was really affected by my statement. He yanked on his pole so hard the line actually broke, and he flew onto his back. After he got back up, he waved that he was okay and he went back to fishing. And me, being the complete idiot that I was, kept babbling on about my crush on Cray. I might have seemed happy saying those things, but in reality, my heart was being ripped to shreds by the lies that wouldn't stop flowing from my mouth. 

I cried myself to sleep that night, and ever since that, Ryu turned distant. He was still the kindest man, but...his eyes seemed so dull, as if he had lost some of the warmth and life that were originally in them. I still curse myself for being such a numbskull. I almost completely destroyed any chance of us being together with that big mouth of mine! 

But now...now, Ryu was mine and nobody else's. I smiled as my thoughts reverted back to the present, gazing upon his handsome face. I was so happy that we were together now...so happy. Thinking about our new relationship, a slightly wicked idea came to my mind. I blushed as I thought about what I was going to do, but hey, I would enjoy it, and I thought Ryu would enjoy it too. 

I leaned up before pressing my lips against his forehead for a soft kiss. There I slowly made a trail down the side of his face, stopping on his cheek. All the while, Ryu's face was gaining what had to be one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen in my life. I giggled at the goofy grin he had plastered on, but then quickly stopped as my eyes transferred to his lips. They looked so gentle and soft, and from what I could recall from last night, they were. I put a hand up to my lips to try and fully remember what they had felt like against mine. Well, if I couldn't remember than I'd just have to refresh my memory. 

I leaned in before planting my lips on his. I slowly began to move them across his, willing him to try and respond to my advances. I was delighted to find that it didn't take long before I found him kissing me back. Nice wake-up call, huh? My hands went around his neck to pull him closer, as his went up to cradle my face. After some chaste kisses, I leaned back to look at him. 

He was staring at me, lust, passion, desire, all like a burning flame glowing in his eyes. But they were swiftly drowned under a torrent of tenderness, love, and warmth. I shivered slightly at the hungry look that was once in his eyes, but didn't think about it too long as he cupped my cheek with his palm. "Morning, angel," he whispered contently. 

Angel? Well, that was a new one. Not even my father had called me angel before, and he must have written the book on pet names, he used so many of them. I raised an eyebrow and looked at him, coy and roguish at the same time. "Angel?" I questioned him innocently. 

His face gained a bad blush, and he looked down in embarrassment and shame before muttering a small apology. "Sorry, Nina." 

I giggled. Don't ask why, but he was just so cute when he acted like this. Ryu lifted his head back up to see what I was giggling about, but I caught him by surprise when I kissed him again. He was still frozen by my sudden movement when I nuzzled my face into his chest. "Angel..." I murmured peacefully. "I love it." I leaned back up to look at him. "And I love you, Ryu. So very much." 

His eyes widened before settling back down into friendly, loving ones. He wrapped his arms around my waist, sat up, and then pulled me up so my chin could rest on his shoulder. I could barely stop from moaning as his hand swept up and down my backside. It just felt so good, so right. Ryu chuckled. "And I love you too, my sweet, precious angel." I sighed dreamily before encircling my arms around his chest, and began to fiddle around with his hair once again. 

Ryu chuckled at my actions. "And what do you think you're doing?" he asked mirthfully. 

"Playing with your hair," I responded. 

"Why?" 

I leaned back from his shoulder to plant my forehead on his. "Because I can," I grinned at him. Ryu was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing. My entire body shook as he buried his head into my shoulder, laughter emanating from him as though it would never stop. It wasn't long before I started laughing too. It was just too...strange, I supposed. After all we went through, we never had any of this happen, so of course, it was all pretty new and weird. 

Eventually, our peals of laughter trickled down to small chuckles and giggles. Ryu kissed me on the cheek before leaning his head back onto the bed's headboard. His hands flowed through my hair, just like I had been doing to him before, giving me a feeling of pure pleasure and contentment. They made their way to the base of my wings soon enough. 

I moaned softly into his chest as he tenderly stroked along the length of my wings, tweaking the ends when he reached them. The feeling of pleasure was rapidly growing stronger as he made these ministrations, and the fact that what he was doing was one of the most intimate things that ever happened between people of the Fai tribe only made it more loving. You see, the wings of my tribe are considered sacred. They are our way of life, and are also considered our greatest pride. To touch them unwanted is the greatest taboo of all. Only the ones we want to spend the rest of our lives with are given the privilege to be able to touch them. 

But this man...this man, Ryu, I loved with all my heart. As long as it was him, I would let him do _anything_ to me. He could kiss me, touch me, make love to me...At this notion my face gained a blush, but it was happy one instead of an embarrassed one. Yes...I wanted to make love to him, marry him, have his children, spend the rest of my life with him...I wanted all of these things, all of them. And maybe...maybe they were all in my grasp, maybe I could do all of them with Ryu. We loved each other, yes, so maybe... 

"Nina?" 

I looked up from Ryu's chest to look at him. His smiling face was just so amazingly handsome and cute at the same time that I couldn't stand it! But, at least his smile was directed at me, with no hesitation and no fear of rejection contained within it. "Yes, Ryu?" 

He raised his hand from my back to caress my cheek with the back of it. I caught it with mine and put it too my lips. He smiled at my affectionate gesture. "Did I ever tell you just how beautiful you were?" 

I giggled. "Yes, and if I remember it correctly, you just called me that last night." 

"Well..." He kissed my forehead. "It's true. You are..." He moved down to my cheeks. "The most beautiful woman..." Then he moved to my lips, mumbling his sentence against them. "I have ever seen." The hand that had been on my lips right before he kissed me moved to hold the base of my head, his other still fastened soundly around my waist. I could feel him slightly shift, silently asking me to follow. I agreed gladly, letting him roll the two of us over so that he was on top, and I was on the bottom. His warmth was so enveloping, yet not suffocating. It was perfect...comforting and just the tiniest bit commanding. 

It was then I felt his tongue gently grace along my bottom lip, wondering if it could have permission to play with mine. I answered by parting my lips, and was absolutely delighted when he eagerly slipped his tongue into my mouth. I was amazed at how shy he could be at one moment, and at the next...well, you see what I'm talking about, don't you? 

At the moment, I was in heaven. This was so perfect, so totally and completely perfect. I had the one I loved lying on me, and kissing me in the most loving and gentlest manner possible. Oh Gods, was he gentle! Ryu...Ryu had to be the gentlest person on the face of this planet. Not once did he ever, _ever_ in the travels of our journey, act nastily or bitter towards any of us. Even after his "berserk" incident, he still managed to act as cheerful and kind as he always was. In fact, to me, I didn't even think it was possible, whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally for _anyone_ to be that selfless, kind, and gentle. 

Overrun by this emotional onslaught, I began to cry. I was just so happy, I couldn't contain myself any longer. I had to cry. Tears began to roll down my cheeks, and my body was being wracked with sobs as I clung to Ryu, wanting him to never stop kissing me, to never stop touching me, to never stop loving me. 

Of course Ryu, being the lovable idiot that he was, thought that he had done something wrong and immediately stopped kissing me. He looked at me with worry and concern before embracing me tightly, shushing so as to stop my crying. However, this only managed to make me cry more at his tender action, making him even more distressed . 

"Please, Nina," he whispered in despair. "Please don't cry. You know I can't stand seeing you cry, so please don't. I hate seeing you unhappy, please..." 

I laughed through my tears. "You big idiot..." Ryu looked up from my shoulder. I smiled softly. "I'm crying because I'm happy..." 

He looked surprised. "You're...happy?" 

I laughed, sniffling and wiping off the wet tears from my cheeks. "Of course I'm happy! Why wouldn't I be?" He opened his mouth to answer, but I stopped him by putting my fingers to his mouth. "I have the man I love, kissing me in the most wonderful way possible. It's more than I could ever ask for. I was just so happy, there was nothing else I could but cry." 

Ryu's face formed into a puzzled look, but quickly melted back into the loving smile he had before. He then did something I thought he'd never do, he began to kiss my neck. Other than my face or lips, Ryu had never kissed me anywhere else on my body. Even last night, he was reluctant to go any farther with me than sweet, simple pecks. "I'm glad," Ryu murmured. He kissed my shoulder, nuzzling it with his nose afterward. "I'm glad that you feel that way...because if that's the case, I'm going to make you the happiest woman alive." 

I moaned as he made his way to where my chin met my neck, kissing it softly, sending a wave of bliss to my already ecstatic heart. His lips traced to my pulse, and there began to suck gently on it. The sensations I was feeling were almost overwhelming. Never before had I ever felt like this, it was just too incredible. My arms went into his, locking into them and gripping his shoulders. I could hear him whispering my name repeatedly along with the word beautiful. There was nothing else I could feel except for his kiss, and his hands as they moved up and down my back, my wings, and the both of my sides. 

An eternity seemed to pass as Ryu explored my neck and shoulders, kissing every piece of flesh that I had, sending tingles of fire across my skin and up my spine. We rolled over an almost uncountable number of times, switching from him on top, to me on top, to him, and back to me again. I wouldn't stop moaning the entire time, my ability to stop shattered by Ryu's silken assault on me. 

Eventually he stopped, with me back underneath him, and spared one last kiss right in the middle of my throat. He then lifted his head and glanced at me. I licked my lips anxiously when I saw the lustful stare in his eyes, and closed mine when he began to lean closer. All I received, though, was a lingering kiss on my forehead before he rolled off of me to the side and pulled me up to him. "Did you like that?" He whispered as I snuggled into him. "Did it make you happy?" 

I nodded. "Of course. After that, what else could I be?" 

Ryu laughed. "Yep, as precious as always." He put a hand up to my face and tapped my nose lightly. "My sweet, irritatingly-cute, little angel." 

I playfully stuck out my tongue at him. "So what if I'm irritating? You don't see to mind all that much." He simply shrugged. I sighed before trying to move closer to him, and then began to play with his hair again. Ryu sneezed as some of the loose strands tickled his nose, and I giggled at his expression. "Ryu?" He turned his head to look at me while he scratched the tip of his nose. I smiled at his confused look. "How come you never wear your hair down? This is one of the few times that I've actually seen it like this. I mean..." I lightly tugged at to free it from under his head, he lifted it, and I put it one of my cheeks. "It's so soft, and you look so gorgeous when you do." 

Ryu, for some strange reason that I did not know of, gained a sudden blush. "I really don't want to tell..." he muttered quietly, so quietly that I had hardly even heard him. 

My face gained a pout as I circled my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "Aww, c'mon, tell me..." I whined. Yeah, I know, I whined. So what? I really did want to know why he was so embarrassed over such a simple question like that one. 

"It's really corny..." he warned. I simply puffed out my cheeks even more, and turned the charm on full with my ultimate attack that no one could resist, my dreaded "Sad Puppy-Dog Eye Attack." Ryu groaned as I blasted the sweetness full-force then closed his eyes and tilted his face to the ceiling. "Fine, I'll tell you." I smirked at my victory before attentively listening to what he had to say. "The reason I always wear my hair in a ponytail is because, the binding for it was..." He trailed off, mumbling the rest of the sentence. 

"What was that?" He remained quiet, tightening his hold on my waist slightly as if trying to gain courage from me. It was ironic; Ryu was one of the bravest people I knew when it came to death-defying tasks, but when it came to day-to-day living like normal people, he was so naïve and innocent, like a little child. "Please, Ryu?" 

He looked up at me and gulped. "Because...the binding I got for it was...it used to be part of your dress. And when I destroyed it after I went berserk, I remember you buying me a new ribbon at one of the shops. It took you forever, but when you gave it to me, I felt like I was luckiest man on this planet. Because...because it was from you...and you...you were the one that got it for me. Me. Not for Cray, not for anyone else. Me." 

He blushed horribly, like it was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him. I guess it was. As sweet and gentle as Ryu is, he's always never been one for talking much. He was always so quiet during our journeys. But unlike Scias, who stuttered with any word he spoke, or Ursala, who just chose not to speak because she was too rigid from her upbringing, Ryu did not speak because he didn't like to speak of his feelings. But when he did, he always spoke with a smile or grin, making sure that we all felt at ease. But he hardly ever talked of his deep emotions. Only once in a while, and even then he was so enigmatic. Even _he_ looked confused when he said them. 

I looked back up to see that Ryu had bowed his head, his bangs covering his face from my view. I craned my head downward and gazed up at his face. It was stained red and his eyes kept shifting from my face to down at the bed. Oh Gods, he was so _cute_ when he was embarrassed! I giggled, putting my hands up to cover my mouth to try and stifle the noise. It didn't work, and Ryu's face drooped. He must have thought that I was laughing at him for his explanation. But I wasn't. Sure it was corny and cheesy as all heck, but it was also so sweet of him to feel that way. 

"Ryyyuuuuuu..." He looked me in the eyes at the crooning tone in my voice. I giggled again before clambering onto him. He was too surprised by my sudden movements to react, so I was able to put my hands to his shoulders and force him down onto the bed. He stared at me incredulously, his eyes shining with mirth and confusion. "Do you have any idea just how cute you are when you blush like that?" 

He shook his head slowly. "No...I don't." 

"Well, you are," I grinned at him. "And even though what you just said was just one of the sappiest things I have ever heard..." His head sunk as he looked off to the side. I put my hand to his cheek and softly turned it so that he would face me. I wanted to see his eyes, those beautiful eyes that carried so much love and warmth for me and me alone. "That was also the sweetest thing I have ever heard anyone say to me also." 

His eyes flashed through a series of emotions, much like they always did, until they landed back on the one that made me feel so special, his gaze that was halfway between a burning stare that conveyed the lust he had for me and the tender look that showed the adoration he had for me also. He grinned back at me before he gripped me tighter and rolled us back over so that I was lying by his side. 

"You know, if you weren't so damn beautiful, I wouldn't know what I would do." 

"Well then it's a good thing I'm so amazingly gorgeous, isn't it?" I frowned a moment later. "Hey, you're not just with me because I'm so pretty, are you?" 

"No..." He pulled be into a more tender embrace. "I wouldn't care what you looked like, I'd love you no matter what. And just to show you how much I love you..." He leaned forward, silently asking me. I just shyly smiled. He took this as my approval, which it certainly was. With Ryu, I would never deny any kind of affection he made towards me, as his advances were never presumptuous, only trying to show me how he cared. 

He captured my lips between his, suckling on them gently as he moved his hands over my back. One of them shifted right between where my wings sprouted, and he alternated from rubbing one of them gently to then rubbing the other one. His free hand moved down to my waist, right above where my rear was. I felt him hesitate. But why...why was he so reluctant? I loved him so much, and I wanted...no, _needed_ him to touch me. I needed to feel him express his love for me, and as much as he could tell me...I also wanted him to show me through...touching me, too. 

I whimpered against his mouth and shifted up a little bit so that his hand slipped downward. He froze and let out a small, curious noise. I moaned, the sound sounding a little too plaintive for my taste, but at least it got the job done. Ryu growled playfully and gripped my rear with an almost animalistic nature. I gasped at his rough, yet also loving, hold, but soon gave in to the sensations that were assaulting my body. I moaned again, pressing my body against his as firmly as I could, wanting to feel every one of his curves and bends mold to mine. 

We stayed in each other's embrace for I don't know how long, slowly kissing and running our hands all over each other. I mostly kept my hands near his upper body: his neck, his shoulders, his long, luxurious hair. I massaged each part as best I could, and he responded by growling appreciatively. He returned the favor as he caressed my wings and my rear. He was so amazingly gentle but also firm, like he would never let me go again. 

We slowly broke off from each other, and Ryu made me tuck my head underneath his chin. I was only too happy to do so. Burying my head into his chiseled chest, I wrapped my arms around him, snuggling as close as I could. He wrapped his arms around my form, holding me intimately. The two of us sighed as one, and then burst into little laughs and giggles at the show of synchronicity. 

We cuddled with each other for a long time. Words couldn't describe how content I was to just be held in Ryu's arms. It was so warm, so comforting, so like being enveloped in the womb. I sighed as I tried to move closer, Ryu accommodating me by relaxing his body, thereby allowing me to sink further into his embrace. 

I could feel Ryu dropping minute kisses onto my hair, breathing deeply every once in a while. It seemed he enjoyed the scent of my hair...I smiled into his body, glad I used that unique perfume I had been waiting to use for a special occasion. It had originally been my mother's; one that she had used while my father was courting her. It was made from the crushed petals of a very rare flower that could only be found near the sanctum where Fou-Lu had appeared. Supposedly it had been extinct for many years, so it was very precious to me. I never thought I would ever use it, but apparently...I got to. 

"Nina?" 

"Hmmm...?" I looked up at him, my eyes half-lidded with sleep and love. I pulled myself up his body, hiding my face into the crook of his neck. He coughed uncomfortably. I frowned at the sound and kissed his neck. He relaxed at my touch, and I continued my affectionate gestures. I murmured through the nibbling on his neck on what was wrong. "What is it?" 

"I think..." He shuddered when I lightly bit his neck. Mmmmm...he tasted so good: musky with sweat and the scent of cinnamon. I gave him a small lick, wanting to taste more of his skin. I think living around Cray had begun to wear off on me. This was usually the way Worrens showed affection for each other, their own kind of kissing. Just like us Windians had our wings to give to our lovers, the Worrens used their tongues instead. And for some inane reason, I was using their methods of lovemaking to...what? Seduce? Was that was I trying to do? Seduce Ryu and have him make love to me? Maybe I was...I honestly didn't know at the time. All I did know was that I loved him...loved him so very much indeed. 

"Tell me, Ryu..." I cooed quietly into his ear. 

"I think...I think that we should stop. At least for now." 

Well, that had certainly ruined the mood. I shot up from his embrace to a sitting position. I scrambled over to the edge of the bed, my legs crossed underneath me. How could he say that? Didn't he love me? Didn't he want me? Didn't he say that he thought I was beautiful? So why? What was wrong with me? My shoulders began to shake, and I crossed my arms in front of my breasts. Why? What did I do...? 

"W-why...? Aren't I g-good enough...? D-don't you t-thi-" 

I found myself engulfed in a giant bear hug. Ryu had come up from behind me and swiped his arms in front of me to pull me into his chest. I struggled to escape from his grasp, but he held onto me strongly. I gave up after a little while and just broke down crying. I shook in his arms, tears streaming down my face as I tried to weakly move away from him, but to no avail. He just squeezed me harder, pulling me closer to him. 

"Oh no, please don't cry, angel. Please don't. I can't stand to see you sad." 

"But why...?" I cried even more at the tone of his voice. It was so caring, so giving, so kind. Why didn't he want me? Why?! 

"Because I'm afraid I'll hurt you!" I stopped crying immediately and turned around. His face was pained, maybe as much as mine was. His eyes were darkened to a dull, pale green, his mouth curved into a sorrowful frown. His cheeks were sunken, his skin sallow. He looked like he had aged fifty years in just ten seconds. "And if I _ever_ hurt you..." He bowed his head onto my head. "I would never be able to forgive myself. 

"I love you, Nina. I love you with all my heart." Then why didn't he... "But not only that, I want you. Gods, I want you so much. I want to be with you, want to touch you, want to be one with you." What, he wanted...wanted to make love to me? Then why didn't...why didn't he? 

"But I'm afraid. I'm so afraid that my Endless side will take hold of me, and I'll do something that I'll regret. You have no idea what it's like, Nina." Warm liquid trickled into my hair and down my face. A drop landed in my mouth, and I tasted the saltiness of saline on my tongue. Was Ryu also crying? I tilted my face up to see that...indeed he was. He clung to me like I was a life preserver; salt stains traveling down on his cheeks. 

I lifted a hand and put the palm to his cheek. He opened his eyes and glanced down at me before flinging his face into my chest, sobbing like a lost infant. I held him against my bosom, petting his hair and cooing soft words. How had the tables turned so easily? First I was crying and Ryu was comforting me, and now he had his head burrowed in my pillows, weeping uncontrollably. I had never quite realized just how fragile Ryu was, but it was then that I knew that Ryu went through more strife in a year than most people went through in an entire lifetime. 

"Ryu...?" 

"It's like a monster takes over me. All I can feel is primal desires. The need for food, for protection, to destroy all other creatures that might hurt me." He lifted his face to look at me. A fire flared up in his pupils, making them glow with an unholy light. "The need...for a mate. 

"I still can't control it, Nina. Damn it! I have one of the strongest forces in existence inside of my body and for all I know it could just erupt from me and destroy the world! And I can't do a thing! Not a single thing!" 

"But you have, Ryu. You have for so long..." 

"But for how much longer? Gods, Nina, when I with you, the dragon wants to rips itself from its binding and take you! It wants to take you where you stand and keep taking you until you beg it to stop!" I shivered at the image of a raging Ryu violating me over and over again. It just didn't fit him. But I had to admit, the idea was rather...intriguing. I shook my head, banishing the thought from my mind. It wasn't smart to think like that, not when Ryu was so torn up about it. 

"I'm scared. I'm so scared that I'll hurt you. And that's the last thing I ever want to do to you." 

"Then don't." 

He jerked his head back slightly. "Wha...what?" 

I pulled him closer until our foreheads were touching. I repeated what I said earlier. "Then...don't." 

"But, I-" 

"Ryu!" He froze at the harsh edge in my voice. I calmed down, shifting so that I sat in Ryu's lap, my legs straddled around him. The both of us blushed at the intimacy and proximity we were sharing, but I was determined to move on and say what I had to say. "If you don't want to let the beast take over, then don't let it. Fight it. I know you can, Ryu." I moved my cheek next to his, rubbing the two together. He reciprocated the actions, and I smiled, a lone tear rolling down my cheek. "You're one of the strongest people that I know, and I'm absolutely sure that you can battle the dragon inside you...and win." 

Ryu didn't move for a little bit, and I had thought he was going to leave me anyhow until I felt his arms tighten around me. "Thank you." His voice was gruff and laden with sorrow. But underneath all of the pain, a glimmer of hope shined through. It was all I needed to be happy. 

I giggled when something occurred to. Ryu glanced at me curiously, and I giggled again before shaking my head. "It's funny..." His expression became more confused. "It's just that...for someone who's so afraid of touching me, you sure were eager to shove you face into my chest." I laughed again as recognition dawned on his face and he began to chuckle, too. 

"Well, I have to admit..." He kissed my forehead and the ruffled my hair fondly. "Even though I didn't mean to, I still enjoyed them immensely." He grinned impishly. "They were much softer than any pillow could ever be." 

"Oh, you!" I laughed as I teasingly slapped him on the chest. He only chuckled in response. I sighed, tucking my head back under his chin and resting my cheek on his chest. "So then, is everything going to be alright?" 

"Everything is going to be perfect." 

"Good." 

We stayed there, holding onto each other after our enlightening talk. Eventually, Ryu grunted softly to signal for me to move. I did so, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed before standing up completely. I watched him stretch out his arms, appreciating the view of seeing the muscles in his arms ripple slightly. I licked my lips, reveling in the fact that this handsome man was now my one and only lover. I closed my eyes, putting my hands to my heart, as if to hold the love I had for him from flying out. Opening them again, I saw that Ryu was smiling at me lightly. 

I blushed under his adoring gaze. I flapped my wings once, landing gently on the floor. I gave my wings a good stretch also, noticing that Ryu was staring at me, that rare gaze of his lustful nature trained on the curves of my body. I blushed harder as I remembered him saying that the Endless part of him continuously wanted to take me where I stood. At least I now knew _why_ that stare of his was so powerful to me, and why I felt so weak and helpless after he fixed it on me. But once again, it disappeared underneath the emerald softness in his eyes. 

I saw that his hair was still flowing freely with nothing to bind it into its usual ponytail. Ryu noticed what I was looking at and twisted his head to look over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed in amusement and he turned back to me, a small smile adorning his face. 

"If you could, the ribbon is over there on the dresser." 

I turned to see where he was pointing to and swiftly found the object he was speaking of. A tiny four-drawer dresser sat in the corner of the room, taking up nearly no space at all. I never quite realized how extravagant the things that circled around me in my daily life were, but it seemed like most of the things I owned were much more lavish than most. Then again, Ryu has never been one for fancy items and material wealth. 

Walking over, I could feel Ryu's gaze on me, but instead of the anxiety I thought it would bring, it only gave me a sense of peace and well-being. I made it to the dresser to see it void of only a few personal belongings of Ryu. One was his Dragon's Eye, the mysterious jewel that could help unravel the rest of the mysteries that still followed Ryu wherever he went. Another was the King's Sword. After the Eastern Alliance made a counterfeit of the original, they no longer had any need for it, so we ended up with and haven't really been able to dispose of it since. At least Ryu enjoys using it. The last object was a long, thin ribbon. It was died the color blue, perfectly hiding itself in his hair. 

I picked the ribbon up and walked back over to Ryu. He turned around, lifting his hair up a little so that I could grip at it better. My hand reached for where his was holding his hair and touched it. My fingers curled over his for a moment before I relaxed them and he removed his hand. I took my time wrapping the ribbon into his hair. This was only the second time I had done this, the first time being when I had first met him. This time I could actually enjoy myself, and enjoy myself I did. 

I finished the last loop and tied the bow into a knot, tightening it firmly enough so that it wouldn't accidentally fall off but loose enough so that it could, heh heh, come off with flick of a finger. Before he could turn around to thank me, I enclosed my arms around his waist, burying my face into his back and taking a good whiff of his scent. 

"Mmmmmm...you smell nice." 

He laughed. "Glad you think so. It wouldn't be nice to know that my little angel didn't like the way I smelled." I nodded my head in agreement and sighed happily. He chuckled again, the joy evident in his voice. "Hey, Nina?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Considering we've got to get out of this room sometime, would you like me to give you a piggyback ride back to yours?" 

My eyes shined with glee at his proposal. I nodded vigorously before jumping onto his back and glomping myself to him. He let out a miniscule "oof" of surprise from my sudden action before standing up straight. He was considerably taller than I was, a good head or so, so I didn't find it surprising when he gripped my thighs and pulled me up with ease. My arms dangled over his shoulders, and I giggled when he growled and nipped at one of them. I loved it when he was playful like this. 

"You ready to go?" I answered with a peck on the cheek. "Alright, then. Here we go!" 

He moved to the door, opening it quickly, and walked out of his room. He closed the door silently at began to tiptoe down the hall. I giggled at this show of trying to sneak through unseen. He shushed me quietly. I subdued the giggle, but decided then and there to make him laugh. My fingers danced down to his chest, slipping into his tunic, and began to lightly tickle his chest. His body shuddered, and I could hear a muffled noise escape from his lips. Good...that's exactly what I wanted. 

I strengthened my onslaught on him. He growled a low, throaty noise as my fingers continued to scratch their way across his front. He couldn't move his hands, afraid that he might have dropped me if he did. I was glad that Ryu was a man of chivalry. Too bad that it would be his downfall at my hands. 

By now we had stopped in the middle of the hallway, me trying to get Ryu to laugh as he struggled not too. But my powerful attack was too much for him. He burst out into a peal of mirth. He laughed and laughed, and I did nothing but wreak further havoc on his ticklish areas. Unfortunately for me, my reign of terror was not meant to last. 

Grabbing one of my legs, Ryu reached around his other side and grabbed me. He bent down and flipped me over his back to land safely in his waiting arms. I was slightly stunned by his counterattack, and he wasted not a shred of time to exact his revenge. He grinned maniacally as his fingers flew across my stomach, his short claws deftly moving across the silk of my nightdress. I could feel him tickle my belly, yet his nails ripped no holes in my dress nor did I feel any scratches made either. He was able to get the job done but not cause any damage in the process. I think I was going to like our alone times... 

I laughed as he carried and tickled me in his arms. He was in a perfect position to do so; one arm was cradling the back of my knees while the other had looped itself around the small of my back, pinning one of my arms to the side as my other gripped at his shirt. He could easily tickle me without fear of me retaliating. I only had one good arm to use and was enjoying myself too much to try and escape from him anyway. 

Ryu's face was full of kindness and joy, the only two things I ever wanted to see on his face. It had contained too many looks of pain and despair throughout our travels, so much that I think he had enough for a hundred lifetimes after this one. All I wanted was for him to be happy. After all, he deserved. And what better way to for him to be happy than to spend quality time like this with me? Sneaky, I know, but...he doesn't seem to be complaining... 

Suddenly, the door opened. The light from outside through a window flooded the space where we were in. We froze, shocked that we had been caught so easily. Who we saw only made it more ironic. 

Scias was staring at us, his usual heavy bangs covering the top half of his face completely. He glanced at the position I was currently in before looking right into Ryu's eyes. A smile formed, a rare one, one that we had only seen twice during our entire journey. The first time was when he told off the Ludian Master, the second when he said it wasn't "proper to tie up a lady" after we captured Ursala. His mouth opened in a wide grin, spreading from one side of his face to his other, everyone single one of his canine teeth showing in the process. 

"En...en...enjoying y...yourself?" 

Ryu and I blinked, caught off balance by his abstract question. It fully came to me what he meant when I realized that the way Ryu was holding me was the usual way grooms carried their brides over the threshold. Knowing where _that_ often led to, I blushed before burying my face into Ryu's chest to hide my face. 

"Urm..." Ryu gulped nervously, obviously embarrassed that he had been found openly showing his emotions towards me. "Y...yeah, we're enjoying ourselves, Scias. But what are you doing up so early? I-it's only dawn..." 

Scias kept the same grin, not moving a muscle as he kept his feet together and his hands behind his back. "A...a...always wake up at da...dawn. Be...besides..." If we could have seen his eyes, I would have sworn he winked. "H...h...hard to sleep last n...night. T...too loud..." 

"Oh, well! That was...urm...that was..." 

Scias laughed gruffly. "D...don't worry. I w...won't tell. B...but you do know that Cr...Cray will want to ta...talk to you later." His grinned lessened until it turned into a thoughtful smile. "H...he's like N...N...Nina's older brother. He's g...going to want to make sure you're w...w...worthy." That same ruffle in his bangs, he must have winked again. "Th...though if you pay me, I might be able to keep him off your b...b...back for a w...while." 

Wow, that was the first time I think anyone ever heard Scias make a joke, at least as playful and carefree as that. Usually his jokes always either reflected the truth or he just was trying to make sure we didn't get to careless. I guess being a mercenary for most of your life would do that to you. 

Ryu nodded dumbly, and I glanced at Scias as I had been doing every so often. I barely managed to squeak out his name over my embarrassment and shock. "Scias?" 

"Yes, P...Princess N...N...Nina?" 

I shook my head. I hated the name princess. All it did was make people feel like they should bow before me and treat me like I was some higher being. I hated that feeling, the feeling of making someone else seem as if they were inferior. I just wanted to be treated normally, as any other regular person was treated. I wanted to just hear my name, without any honorifics like "princess" or "your highness" attached to it. Just me. Nothing more, nothing less. 

"Please, just call me Nina. No princess." 

He nodded. "As y...you wish, Miss N...N...Nina." 

I sighed. Looked like that was the best I was going to get. Even though Scias was a mercenary, he was also a very proper mercenary, albeit the fact that he was rather impulsive and tended to drop jobs in the middle and cavorting off with the people he was supposed to kill and/or capture. But he treated each person to their station. I was "Princess" or "Princess Nina", Cray was "Sir Cray", Ursala was "Captain"...The only two people he didn't give honorifics were Ryu and Ershin. Ershin was just her name, or Deis, depending on which of the two he was talking about. And Ryu was just simply...Ryu. I guess Scias saw him as a fellow warrior, and treated him with some sort of honor code. Oh, what do I know?! I don't know anything about that kind of stuff! Hhnnnn...sometimes I really overthink things too much... 

"Could you please not tell Cray? I'm afraid of what he might do." 

He cocked his head a little to the side. "But I'm afraid I mu...must, Miss N...N...Nina. It is my du...du...duty to protect you. And a try...tryst such a...as this must n...not go untold." 

I sighed again. "Well, if you have to, could you at least warn Ryu when Cray's coming so that he can get a head-start?" Ryu gulped at my request. He knew how protective Cray was of me, so he must have been prepared for something like this to happen. If he wasn't...well, that was a lot like Ryu so I might as well let him try to figure it all out himself. A little careless, but...what could I do? 

Scias gave a small bow. "Yes, M...Miss N...N...Nina." He stepped out of his room, and I realized that he was already in his full day attire. He shut the door and walked past us. "I'll let Ryu off with a wa...warning. I'm going to S...Sir Cray's room n...n...now. You have several m...minutes before he comes for h...him. After a...all..." He let out a grin. "I m...must perform the t...t...tasks I was p...paid to do." 

He disappeared quickly around a corner. Ryu and I stayed there, stunned, until Ryu creakily turned and made his way to my room with me still firmly kept in his arms. Not only was that the most Scias had ever spoken in one sitting, but he had also shown a bit of a humorous side that we had never seen before. And what did he mean the tasks he was being paid for? Was Cray... 

"We're here, Nina." I looked from Ryu's chest up at his face. A smile graced across his lips as he motioned towards my side. I twisted my head to see that we had arrived at my room. The little carving of a giant winged bird with my name right under it proved that it was. Had we really made it here that fast? "Do you want to get off now?" 

I looked back up at his face and nodded. He set me down gently on the floor, caressing my wings playfully and also putting some that had accidentally moved out of place back to their right positions. He was so sweet sometimes...Well, he was always sweet, but there were time when he was especially caring...like now. I flapped my wings once to just make sure everything was in place before facing him. 

"Thank you, Ryu. Last night was amazing. And so was this morning, too" 

He blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. Last night was incredible for me also." He fidgeted on he feet, jumping from one of them to the other as he wringed his hands behind his back. "Ummm...so I guess I'll see you later then?" He raised his eyebrows hopefully. I smiled and nodded. He grinned widely. "Okay! So I'll see you later!" He waved energetically. "Bye, angel!" 

"Wait!" He stopped in mid-stride and glanced at me questioningly. Ohhhh, what was I doing? "Urmmm...Could you...could you come here a moment?" He tilted his head and took a step back to me. 

"What is it?" 

I looked up at his caring gaze. Well, we had done more, so why should I be so nervous? Yeah, that was right, I could do this! I deserved to do this! Alright, Nina, go ahead and do it! 

"This." 

I leaned up and pressed my lips against his. He was still for a moment, but responded swiftly enough. Touching, probing, tasting. We didn't move our hands from their current positions, the only things connecting us was our liplock. We didn't go any further but closed-lips, but Gods, could Ryu kiss anyway. Just _thinking_ about it made me feel all tingly inside. 

I slowly broke off from him, licking my lips to taste the remaining flavor of his. I looked at him to see that he was slightly dazed by what we just did, his eyes glazed over and his lips still slightly pursed. I giggled before tapping him on the nose, breaking him out of his trance. I giggled again, opened the door, and peeked out at him while I closed it bit by bit. Just before he disappeared completely, I blew him a smooch. "Bye, Ryu..." 

The door latched behind me, and I sighed in contentment as I leaned against it to support my weight. Now that I was alone, I found my legs had turned to jelly and that my knees felt weak and fragile. I sunk to the floor, giggling and sighing to no one in particular as all the events of the past several hours came into play. 

Me confessing my love to Ryu. Him doing the same to me. Falling asleep in his embrace. Waking up the next morning in the same position. The cuddling, the kissing, the game of emotions that played between us. The sharing of secrets. The fact that Scias of all people had found us out first. All so many happy and fond memories. 

I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard Cray's booming voice roar down the hall, and the cries of fright from Ryu followed by the thumping of feet against the wooden floor as they played a more mature game of cat and mouse, Cray threatening to kill Ryu while Ryu begged him not to. I could hear Scias chuckling right outside my door as bangs and crashes reverberated throughout the castle. 

"Qu...quite the loud m...m...morning, isn't it, Miss N...Nina?" 

I laughed again, cracking the door open and looking at Scias's amused expression. His cheeks were high and his patented grin had once again crossed over his face. It seemed like he had enjoyed telling Cray about Ryu's and mine new relationship. 

"It certainly is, Scias. It certainly is..." 

Friendship, siblinghood, parental bonds; these are all great forms of love that many people share with each other throughout the span of their lives. But as I watched Ryu sprint up and down the halls with a furious Cray holding a large club over his head right on his heels, I realized that all of these paled in the face of the one that Ryu and I shared. Sure, they were special, and I would never trade any of them for all the riches in the world. 

But the one that I held with Ryu, the one that I hoped I would be able to share with him forever, was the one that I treasured the most. It is a bond that will carry us through tough times, that will help us help each other, share secrets, make a family, grow old together until the end of our lives. In essence, it is the most powerful thing that could ever be made between two people. 

It is the purest form of love. 

The End 

A/N: Wow, I'm finally done. It's amazing; I've been working on this one short story for the past several months, but I never had the opportunity nor the motivation to finish it. Sorry people. But as you can see, it's much longer than the first one, nearly twice as many words, in fact! Ahem, in any case, I hoped you enjoyed it and are looking forward to any other fics I come up with. I'm actually thinking of doing two more one-shots in regular third-person view before writing a series after these four. Tell me if you like the idea and I'll get on it as quickly as I can. Anyway, Please Review! And remember...no flames! 


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